Identification of important authors in science: A comparison of two methods of identification

doi:10.1016/0306-4573(85)90103-7

Information Processing & Management

Volume 21, Issue 3, 1985, Pages 177-186

https://doi.org/10.1016/0306-4573(85)90103-7 Get rights and content

Abstract

This study examines the problem of identification of important authors in science by examining authors in the area of quantum mechanics. An examination was conducted using two methods of identification. The first method was a bibliometric approach and the second a historical approach. A gamma test of association was employed resulting in a finding of significant association between the ranks of authors. The major conclusion was that, when restricted to the same authors, the two methods of identifying important authors produce a statistically significant number of equivalent names. Discussion of the results and areas for further investigation are included.

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Cited by (2)

Idea analysis: a new approach in using scientific literature
1989, International Journal of Man-Machine Studies
This paper describes a method for identifying the knowledge used by experts in the design of clinical trials. The ideas presented in numerical displays are identified in the medical literature dealing with clinical investigations of the disease. These ideas are extracted, computerized, retrieved, and compared with those in the clinical trial protocol prepared by the experts. The agreements and differences between the two sets of ideas provide insights into the cognitive behavior of experts as they design the therapeutic trial. By tracing the ideas involved, it is possible to estimate the “creation trail” used by the experts.
An example is given using the work of the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study Committee (IRS). That committee has been the primary contributor of information dealing with the treatment of rhabdomyosarcoma in children. The IRS-III protocol was used in this analysis, because that protocol was adopted by the leading pediatric oncology clinical trial groups in North America and Europe.
The Idea Analysis method was found to be useful in identifying most of the ideas used in constructing the IRS-III protocol. Those features which were not direct extensions of the data-supported ideas previously published in the literature could be identified and put into perspective. In most instances, the logic and precursors of the innovative ingredients could be identified.
Tracing expert thinking in clinical trial design
1989, Computers and Biomedical Research
This paper describes a method for the analysis of the clinical trial design process used by experts. With this procedure, the scientific ideas and their sources can be identified and related to the clinical trial protocol actually prepared by the experts. An example is given using the work of the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study Committee (IRS). That committee has been the primary contributor of information dealing with the treatment of rhabdomyosarcoma inchildren. The IRS-III protocol was used in this analysis of expert behavior because the protocol was adopted by the leading pediatric oncology clinical trial groups in North America and Europe. The analysis showed that the experts rely heavily, for much of the design, on ideas presented in numerical displays in published documents. Further, those aspects of the design which are innovative can be traced and better understood by applying the new procedure.

^†: Present Address: Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Simmons College, 300 The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115, U.S.A.

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Identification of important authors in science: A comparison of two methods of identification

Abstract

Bibliometrics

Ann. Rev. Inform. Sci. Tech.

Quantitative measures of communication in science: a critical review

History of Science

The Relationship between intra-document citation location and citation level

A statistical procedure for evaluating the importance of scientific papers

Use of scholarly materials in German literary research: an analysis of reference citations in publications about literary works written in the German language

The identification of important literature in science: a critical review of the literature

Advances in Librarianship